“The amount of influence Van Gaal has had on the tour is astonishing considering we were led to believe he was a dead man walking,” Bates told the Sunday Supplement on Sky Sports.

“For the club to allow him to have that level of influence on how they structure their summer tour to China it is at odds with where we view Van Gaal and his future.

“On Friday, Van Gaal revealed he had won a significant battle with the commercial arm of United, who are very powerful in bringing in revenue and sponsorship. These tours are a big part of what they do.

“Van Gaal eluded that the ‘suits’ wanted a longer tour – two weeks, maybe three or four games – and he has beaten them down to effectively two games against Borussia Dortmund and Man City in Shanghai and Beijing over an eight-day period.

“That is a significant victory if he has managed to achieve that, and that obviously places his future into debate.

“All the talk about Mourinho coming in is confusing – some people are absolutely certain he is coming in while others are taking a step back and suggesting he may not.

“This story adds to the will-he, won’t-he swirl. If United are giving him level of influence over their tour you have to question whether they would let him see out the final year.

“Ed Woodward does not want to sack Louis van Gaal and the next few games are going to significant because if United were to make the top four or win the FA Cup, I don’t think they will sack him.”